Learn a Stitch Needlepoint Owl

What more could you want. My 2013 series, Learn a Stitch Needlepoint Owl, starts this month with this adorable owl.

Inspired by a patchwork cell phone case, you can make these owls in any colors you like.

Every month four new stitches will be highlighted (one for each area except the eyes.

The monthly project will appear on the fifteenth of every month through 2013. Complete instructions for the piece start below.

Prepare your Canvas

For this project you will need:

6 x 8 piece mono canvas in your choice of canvas

light-colored solid thread for face

dark-colored solid thread for eyes

3 solid or overdyed threads for body areas & triangle

(optional) metallic to outline body areas

For this owl I used:

Kreinik #12 in4010HL

Watercolours in 307 Calypso

Conjoined Creations in 825M

Burmilana in 3906

Hyla’s High Cotton in Custard (604)

Ty-Di Just Cotton in 109

I’m challenging myself to use only threads from my stash for these.

Print this template for your owl

Begin by clicking on the owl template above to get a full-size outline. Use this to trace the outline onto your canvas using a permanent marker made for fabric, such as a Pigma Micron.

Trace all the vertical and horizontal lines, making sure each one is along either one thread of canvas or one column of holes on the canvas.

Mark the dots that are the centers of the eyes.

Mark the intersection that is at the bottom of the triangle. From this point make two diagonal lines for each side of the triangle. This is the easiest way to get a perfect triangle.

Triangle

Stitch the triangle in Diana, below. This stitch alternates rows of Tent Stitch and Cross Stitch over one thread. Use one of the solid threads for this area.

Diana

Eyes & Face

Stitch the center of the eyes, below, in Tent Stitch. Around the Tent Stitched area make a Jessica, below. The diagrammed Jessica has 3 stitches on each side. Yours should be larger, with five stitches per side. The process works the same way for all sizes of Jessicas.

Jessica for eyes

Once the eyes are stitched, fill the centers with Tent Stitch.

Next stitch the face in Domi, below.

Domi

Body

Stitch the left side of the body in Anna’s Cashmere, below, using two of your threads.

Anna’s Cashmere

Stitch the right side of the body in Reverse Offset Arrowhead Scotch, below.

Reverse Offset Arrowhead Scotch

Once you have completed stitching your owl, you may want to add some edging to the colored areas. I did this by making lines of Whipped Backstitch, below, using metallic.

Whipped Backstitch

Series

Don’t forget to visit Nuts about Needlepoint every month on the 15th to get next month’s lear a stitch needlepoint owl!

Related

Comments

Thanks so much for this lovely needlepoint owl.
I collect owls so this is absolutely marvelous. I can’t wait to pick up needle, choose colors and start stitching
Thanks again for all that you do for us.
Happy Stitching,
Betty G.

Can you confirm how big your owl actually is so that I can be sure I get the pattern the right size. Also as a matter of interest what count canvas did you use for your sample? And one further question, do you do the tent stitch for the eyes before or after the Jessica? The instructions suggest both!

Janet, I love it from the get go. I have been an owl collector since I graduated from Temple university, home of the Temple Owls, where I met my husband. I am supposed tobe stitching an anniversary card out of River Silks and I will finish that but this babyi is next. He looks like smuch fun!! What can I substitute for the Cojoined Creations, I have never heard of that. Also i have lots of crewel/needlepoint wool what color is the Burmilana can I use Paternyan or DMC. Also what can I use for the cotton flosses. I work mainly with Silk now, is there something in Vineyard or Planet earth with cotton I have literally tons of watercolors and regular DMC floss. I Amos excited to see a owl,,,

You are the best, my mentor ,and I just re-read some of your old posts explaining the differences between floss and 5 and 8 pearl cotton before I checked my email. Thanks for keeping on your list and you can make any deductions needed for the owl from my Pay Pal account. Thanks for being there and for being a great teacher.
Your friend,
Sharon

The idea is that you can use any colors/threads you want — they should be whimsical.

Conjoined Creations is a soy thread, so it’s most like Dream House’s Soy Lustre but with more shades in each family. Impressions, Sheep’s Silk, Pepper Pot Silk, or Poppies would all have similar textures.

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